This invention relates generally to insect traps and, more particularly, to a trap for carpenter bees.
Carpenter bees are a problem in certain geographical regions because they tend to bore holes in various wooden structures, including houses. Once the wooden facade of a house has been penetrated by these bees, they can spread through the interior of the house, becoming a nuisance and causing physical damage and sometimes even physical harm to occupants. Thus, there has been a need for a trap for these pests in the vicinity of wooden structures to be protected from them.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide such a trap which is effective in trapping carpenter bees and can be efficiently and economically manufactured in large numbers.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a carpenter bee trap comprising a housing having a hollow interior and at least one solid wall having a hole formed therein to permit carpenter bees to enter the hollow interior of the housing, the hole having about the same size as holes normally made by carpenter bees so that the hole tends to attract such bees. The preferred hole size is in the range from about {fraction (5/16)} inch to about xc2xd inch. The interior surface of the solid wall forming the interior edge of said hole is substantially flat. The exterior surface of the solid wall around the hole preferably has a light color, and the walls of housing are preferably opaque so that the hole appears dark from outside the housing. The interior surface of the solid wall forming the interior edge of the hole is preferably substantially flat. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the trap is made of a single piece of molded plastic with molded hinges connecting selected pairs of adjacent walls, and including integral latching means for releasably latching selected pairs of adjacent walls.